This is an account of the human mind working at its highest potential which asks questions such as: how do creative people think?; do great works of the imagination originate in words or in images?; is there a rational explanation for the sudden appearance of geniuses like Mozart or Einstein? The author approaches the subject by assembling the thoughts of "experienced thinkers" - artists, philosophers, writers and scientists able to reflect on their own imaginative patterns. More than 50 interviews (with figures ranging from Jessica Mitford to Aaron Copland), along with excerpts from the diaries, letters and autobiographies of the likes of Leo Tolstoy, Marie Curie and Diego Rivera, provide illuminating insights into creative activity. These personal accounts are combined with laboratory studies of thought process to cover topics such as the importance of childhood mentor figures; the lengthy apprenticeship of the talented person; and the development of self-expression through highly individualistic languages, whether in images, movement or inner speech.